Three minutes (Dale Burgess x immortal!Reader)
request: So, could you please write Dale Burgess x reader, who is immortal and is afraid of falling in love with a mortal, because they will outlast him?
“Milk?” Dale asked you, pulling two glasses out of the cupboard.
The two of you had been up since four in the morning fixing a rafter in the barn. To anyone who hasn’t tried to fix a rafter in a 300 ft tall barn, it may not seem like a three hour task, but it was. And you and Dale were both completely exhausted.
“Yes please.” You answered and Dale opened the fridge to retrieve the milk.
You tried not to stare as he poured the milk, but it was hard not to. Dale was incredible. You were impressed (and attracted) by even the smallest things he did. From fixing rafters, to pouring milk. You had always liked Dale. But you could never love him.
Being an immortal certainly had its perks, and most of its challenges were tolerable, but if there was one thing you couldn’t stand, it was that you could never fall in love.
Ok, technically you COULD, but deep down, you knew it was a bad idea. Love was a very powerful emotion. If you got too attached to a mortal… The thought of losing then would be too much to bear.
And yet, you couldn’t stop your ever increasing feelings for Dale.
You snapped back to the present when Dale shut the fridge and handed you your glass of milk.
“Thanks.” You said, still halfway lost in thought.
“No problem,” Dale said, taking a seat next to you at the kitchen table, “You okay?”
“Hm?” You asked, “oh! Yeah. Yes. I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?” He asked, “You seem a little off.”
“Off how?” You asked, plastering on a smile, “I’m fine!”
“Y/N.” Dale said firmly, “I think we’ve been friends long enough to know when you’re lying to me.”
“I’m not lying!” You protested, “I’m really okay.”
“No you’re not.” Dale insisted.
You sighed and stared down at your glass of milk. “You’re right. I’m not fine. I’m falling in love with you, but I really shouldn’t be.” You couldn’t tell him what was wrong. No way.
“Hey…” Dale touched your cheek and you looked up at him, “Come on Y/N, you know you can talk to me.”
“It’s really not important.” You lied.
“It is to me.” Dale said.
“Yeah?” You asked, “Why is that?”
“I care about you.” Dale shrugged and your heart skipped a beat.
Of course he cared about you. The two of you had been friends for years. That didn’t mean anything. You shoved your feelings down and tried to breathe steadily.
“I know.” You said, trying to hide the emotions bubbling inside of you.
Dale ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath.
“Can I just…” He stared to speak, but then stopped.
“I need to say this now, because if I don’t then I never will.” Dale started.
Half of you was on the edge of your seat in giddy anticipation, and the other half wanted to throw up. You knew where this was going and it couldn’t happen.
He ignored you and kept talking.
“If I say this, it could change everything.” He said.
“Then don’t.” You blurted, “Don’t say anything.”
Dale looked a bit taken aback, but then he nodded and sat back in his chair, taking a deep breath.
You hadn’t realize you had been holding yours until you let it out. And then in a blur Dale was leaning forward. Before you could react, his lips were on yours.
You loved Dale. You loved his dorky personality. You loved his kindness. You loved his sense of humor. You loved his goofy laugh. You loved that he paced when he was deep in thought. You loved his adorably big ears. You loved the way he rubbed the back of his neck when he was nervous. You loved that he was relaxed and that you were comfortable around him. You loved everything about him. You loved the way his lips were moving against yours; soft, but urgent. You didn’t want it to end. And yet…
“Stop.” You pulled back and Dale looked at you with an unreadable expression.
“Y/N…” He started, but you stopped him.
“We can’t do this.” You said
“Why not?” He asked, “Y/n, I–”
“I can’t fall in love with you.” You blurted.
Dale blinked. He shifted in his seat for a minute and then stood, starting to pace around the kitchen. You watched him for a minute until he stopped to look at you.
“Really?” He asked, “because I can’t NOT fall in love with you.”
“What?” You asked, a little confused by the double negative.
“I can’t spend all of this time with you without wanting more. I can’t even just talk to you without wondering what we could be. I just… I guess I thought that you at least felt a sliver of the same thing. But I guess I was wrong. So I’m sorry.”
“Dale…” You weren’t quite sure what to say, “You weren’t wrong…”
He stopped pacing and looked at you, perplexed.
“Then what’s the problem?” He asked quietly.
“I can’t lose you.” You blurted, “I’m going to outlive you Dale. It’s inevitable. And when that happens… I don’t know if I’d be able to take it.”
“Are you serious?” Dale asked.
“Yes.” You said, “I can’t love you, because I don’t want to lose you.”
Dale sat back down and looked at you intently.
“So…” He said, “Are you going to drink your milk?”
“What?” You looked at him, surprised at the subject change.
“Because you know, if you drink it, it’ll be gone.” He pointed out.
“Yeah…” You said, unsure of where this was going.
“Exactly.” He said, “You know you’re going to run out of milk, but you’re going to drink it anyway, because you want to enjoy it while it lasts.”
“Okay…” You thought about it, “I can see what you’re trying to say, and maybe my logic is completely crazy, but the closer I get to you, the harder it will be to lose you.”
Dale looked like he was ready to protest, but then he sighed.
“So you’re not even going to give it a chance?” he asked.
You didn’t answer. What were you supposed to say to that?
He was right. You knew that your fear was irrational, and maybe even a little selfish. But it was real! It was so real. And it was hard.
“Y/n…” Dale took your hand, “You’re right. It’s a tough situation. And there’s no way I could ever know even a fraction of what you’re feeling. But I think that that it would be worth it to give us a shot. Remember Lena and Patton? They did it. They both knew how it would end, but they did it anyway and I’m willing to bet that it was worth it. Lena said she would’ve left the pond for just three minutes with Patton. Despite how terrified she probably was, she left everything behind to take advantage of what little time they had. So I guess all I’m asking is… Can you just… give me three minutes?”
The tears you had been trying to hold back were now rolling endlessly down your face and you choked back sobs. He was right. You were being ridiculous.
Dale wiped a tear from your cheek and silently waited for you to compose yourself.
Finally you stopped crying and took a deep breath. You looked at dale and he cocked his head in the adorable way that he always does. He really was amazing. You wanted to spend every second you could with him. Three minutes?
“I’d leave it all for three seconds.” You decided and gave Dale a tear streaked smile.
His face broke into a grin and he squeezed your hand.
“That’s all I ask.” He said, “But uh… I could go for a little longer than three seconds.”
A/N: I am so so sorry for how long this took. I hope it’s not mega cringey but it probably is lolol
